Dual purpose sleeve-spring spring jack



J. E. osn DUAL PURPOSE SLEEVE-SPRING SPRING JACK May 24, 1949.

Filed July 5, 1945 P. INVENTOR. Jam Z. 505/2,

Patented May 24, 1949 UNITED zs mrres PATE- m 2,470,915 DUAL fitmifosn sLE vmsIRiNG SPRING JACK James E. Bosh, :Befwyn, 111., 'assignoi gtojiel lb t witchboard and Supply Company, Chicago, 111.. a corporation of Illinois Aizpl'iatioh Jiil'i'fi, 1945, serial No: $035321 The inventitn'reeuzes -these'bbi-ectsby the re- Visio'n era new 131; sleeve and a new sleevas'pring enactin therewith. The new sex -s1e'eve is made in the min of a fixea y eisposee bushingflike member Whih iSYoJeQtsTrBin its indenting. The new sleeve-spring is 'fikdfly attached at one and am cai'ti'es at' tsrfee end a Dali ontact mem beis er fingers for engagement with the-pre'jett'm'g portion of the 'stati'onaiy iack'slee've to maintain at an time's goo-t1 el'eti'ieai' tentact"therewitn. Between the 'contaet fingers at the f ee end or the sleeve-spring is disposed a sneamorm'ea ton'g'ue which is movafile'within a'fadialiy esitenqingsl t oieutout in thproje'ctinfg' portion of tlfi e jack sleeve for estam shingpasitm contact with the sleeves of t e-mug inserted therein.

The tweets and features bi iefly o'litlined above, and additional objets an "fatuis, will be brought out in detail in'the deso'iiptioh which is rendered below with reference to the aecompahying drawings. In these drawings,

Fig. :1 'i llusti'ate s in er less diagrammatic ffiahnr an enafiodini'eiit of-th' invention showing part of a spring -jaek-fc'avi'ii'd with 'th le new jack sleeve and. th'e 'slee'v-siiiing 'coabting' the'iewith; FigVZ is a view of thearrangementf'sfhown in Fig, '1, with the fil ng inseitedi'nto theiak sleeve:

Fig. S'EQOWE the new sleeve-smug. of Figs. 1 anti? in iig View;

Fig.4 is spend view pit-the new sieVe-s'pring as seen from themgfit of Rig. 3';

Figs- B and-B 'rem esent contact arrangeginent as eenaldfng the sectional lines =5-' 5- -and 6:5 in Fi 1: and

Figs. '7, 8 and 9 are fragmentary.'somewhatzemlar ed toe. edge smiend -view's."resnect-ively, of another emb bdir'ne'nt of a Sleeve-Stating.

Tfie arawin s are 'ifinre 6 less diagranimatib andare intense'a- =fi1r=de cfintive and il ustrative pnrnoses onlv. L ke parts are indicated by like reference numerals throughout the drawings. Known-details ans elements-"Will lbe fefeire'd to only to the extent :reqniied for conveying an undei'stamiing-of what is new.

The new: arrangement .may' be used in connection with practically any desired asp-ring .J'ack structure. Accordingly, the spring jack frame is show-n in Figs. 1 .and'2 diagrammatically as (bomprisin'g "a rearstrip-o-i' .bai' indicated'hy numeral I l anda front stripiof bai indicated bynumer'al 12. The strip-H isnprovided -for' thapurpose of mounting the vai'i'ous springs. and the strip -l -2 isp'rovided for mounting'the flack-sleeves. Gn'e set -'of.'sp'i'ings is diagi'ainmatieally rshown; including spring 13; for engagement with the tip ll of the p1ug.:and spring l 5iforengagement with the ring conductor tintin -15mg. Numeral 1 in Figs. 1 anti 2.inflibates' -theteenti'aiiziiortitin 10f the 'newsleeve=spi'ingpnuinehatI 8 indieatesthasieeve of thetpl-u'g and numera 19 indicates athe porti'on of the :newjaek :sleve h'i'eh =:pi'oje1cts1 mward1r frbi'n the mounting ba'i' bi'i'Sfiiii? e12. The'ifalug hamlets-manned -a'.t'l'lll.

The newrsieeve tiseszwinounting portion '21 which 31 memes in afsuitabievmanner to therfeaiv'strip f ber 1'1 10f the string dank frame, asst-own Eig-SL' afid'i2. This-i a-rpottion o'f'the s1ee?e=-s'pring." augment; disfilaee'd with respect tothe-ientrahportiony as "indicated in Fig. 3-, foi the tut-pose ot-ptoviiiing tension and spring pressure When -the spring is #inounted as shown in it 'ig's. 1 aiid 2. freeiend'ofthes leev'espring is shear form'drto memesbaii' -of eontact fingers 2223 and a to giii-M 'Whi'chi' has a contact making :poitioh and a stop exten- 'si'on-26.

The jack sleeve whieh ismounted in tile mm strip 'or' bar :12 :bfthezname is provided with a flange z'lxan'd with tireanievieuslv ndehtinned im war-my projectingpettiony'la. The flange 21 'is flattened atonesi'd intimated *IWFigSz-S ahd e at 28 ftrtrr purpese lignment Witfi the inmatmediate wan "oft-113129 ofthe tsetse. Theinwardw projecting 'p'ortibn 1 9 'f theme-sleeve is also provided. with aa radiallyzextend-ing cutout or slot 31) (see- Figsi5 antHi) til-Flinn is i'adiallf biopefly aligned withirespeet tbthe tongue fz'aorthesieeva spring by the alignment x-ofrthe-riflattened portion 28 with the .frame me or twauzza Theslot 1-30 is provi'ded fbi' fette'ivifig'the fitw't making bBittiOh 25 of the tongue 24. Th'rsttp-bxten'sionfit of the tongue or contact 'finger normally engages the flange 2! of theiaekzsl'eeve berinhml-iy,:as=seen in Figs. l and 26-, and :tfius limits mesmwara displacement of the tontaetgmakmlg *qettionfifi radially iinwarfilyiof th'ena' sat-sleeve. entrant-a1 position, as seen in Fig. 1, the contaet making portion .25 v.n'fthe 'ttingue antenna; -fi r'Igef 24 projects slightly Jinsifl the .reamedb'oiing of the .j 'a'ck *slee'vean'dtthus bfojeet's into the new for the plug wh'ieh-fis'to be inserted :into the tuna spring. Whentheqi'liig I is inset-ted, as seen in Fig. 2, the inward pressure of the contact making portion 25 of the contact tongue or finger 2c is exerted against the sleeve portion [8 of the plug. Positive contact is thus made with the plug sleeve and is maintained throughout the operative position of the various parts as shown in Fig. 2.

The structure, as described above, thus provides a sleeve-spring carrying a plurality of contact means for elastic contact engagement with the bushing-like jacket sleeve, and Spring means extending from the sleeve-spring for elastic contact engagement with the sleeve contact surface of the plug inserted into the jack sleeve.

The operation of the arrangement and function of the various parts are believed to be obvious from the drawings and from the foregoing description. For the sake of completeness, however, they are briefly summarized as follows:

It may be assumed that the spring jack shown in Figs. '1 and 2 is a line jack. Accordingly, tip and ring springs l3 and 15 are connected with line conductors and the sleeve-spring l? is connected with the test conductor of the line. Be fore inserting a plug the operator must make a test to determine the busy or idle condition of the line. This is done by contacting the jack sleeve with the tip of a plug. If the operator finds that the line is idle, that is, if no busy potential is found on the jack sleeve, the connection may be established by inserting the plug. It is therefore important that the sleeve-spring is at all times connected with the jack sleeve. In the present structure such connection is reliably maintained by the contact fingers 2223 of the structure.

The sleeve contact surface l8 of the plug, which is inserted into the jack spring, as shown in Fig. 2, must be positively connected with the sleevespring in order to provide the contact for reliably and positively extending the potential on the plug sleeve to the sleeve-spring. Such positive contact is established by the contact portion 25 of the tongue 24 which is part of the sleeve-spring.

The present structure thus fulfills the two principal functional requirements of coaction between the sleeve-spring and the jack sleeve and between the sleeve-spring and the sleeve portion of the plug, respectively.

The new structure is simple and efficient from the manufacturing and maintenance point of view. The parts are easily produced and assembled without requiring any particular skill, and readjustments, if necessary, are easily carried out. The new sleeve-spring forms functionally an integral part of the new jack sleeve and provides the dual functions as noted, without introducing any complications in production, assembly and maintenance. It will be easily understood that complications would result if it were attempted to make the sleeve-spring structurally an integral part of the jack sleeve. Such a structure would be costly to produce, unwieldly in assembly, clumsy in appearance and operation, and would lack the flexibility and adaptability which are a characteristic feature of the invention,

shown, for example, by reference to the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 7, 8 and-9. This is par ticularly true where the jack sleeve is molded into the switchboard structure which is one of the methods of manufacture contemplated in the present case.

The sleeve-spring shown in these figures is prcvided for mounting in a plane disposed in parallel with the plane of the intermediate rib or wall 29 of the spring jack frame instead of alongside the jack springs such as [3 and i5, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In other words, the sleeve-spring ll of the previously described structure is disposed just like the tip and ring springs 13 and It, edgewise with respect to the rib 29 of the jack frame in a plane which extends in parallel with the plane of the springs l3 and I5, while the sleeve-spring illustrated in Figs. 7-9 may be disposed on top of the tip and ring springs such as l3 and [5, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2. The tip and ring springs such as l3 and i5 then underlie the sleeve-spring shown in Figs. 7, 8 and 9 and are disposed edgewise with respect thereto or in planes which extend perpendicular to the plane of the sleeve-spring.

The modified sleeve-spring comprises the mounting portion which may be attached to the strip or bar II of a jack frame such, for example, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The spring extends forwardly and is crimped as indicated at 36, so as to lift its free end to provide clearance for the plug. The free end of the spring is somewhat wider than its mounting portion 35, as is particularly apparent from Figs. '7 and 9, and is provided with the tongue 31 and the contact fingers 3839. The tongue 31 forms at its forward end the contact member 40 for engagement with the sleeve contact of a plug in a similar manner as described before with respect to the contact member 25 of the tongue 24 carried by the sleevespring I! in Figs. 1 and 2. The fingers 3839 are twisted at their free ends and are of the arcuate shape, as indicated at 41-42, for engagement with the flange of a jack sleeve such as the fiange 2'! indicated in the structure Figs. 1 and 2. The jack sleeve coacting with the sleeve-spring, Figs. 7, 8 and 9, is generally similar to the one described before and is also provided with a slot or cutout for receiving the contact portion 40 of the tongue 31. The stop 43 at the free end of the tongue 3! corresponds to the stop 26 of the tongue 24 of the previous embodiment. It limits the displacement of the tongue radially inwardly within the slot of the jack spring.

The invention is useful in single-jack as well as in multiple-jack structures, and also in connection with any type of plug and jack combinations that may be desired. The spring jack frame shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and also the plug and spring combination shown in these figures are examples of how the invention may beused and are not intended to indicate any particular inherent limitations.

Changes may be made within the scope and spirit of the appended claims in which I have defined what is considered new and desired to have protected by Letters Patent of the United States.

I claim:

1. A sleeve-spring contact device for use in spring jacks of the class described, comprising a bushing-like sleeve for receiving a plug, and a sleeve-spring secured at one end and carrying at the free end thereof a plurality of contact means for the dual purpose, first, of maintaining at all times contact with said bushing-like sleeve and, second, of establishing positive contact engagement with the sleeve contact surface of a plug inserted thereinto. r 2. The'structure and combination defined in claim 1, wherein said sleeve-spring is shearformed to provide at its free end a plurality of contact fingers which constitute said contact means;

3. The structure and combination defined in claim 1, wherein the free end of said sleeve-spring is shear-formed to provide a pair of contact fingers constituting contact means for maintaining at all times contact with said bushing-like sleeve and to provide a contact member constituting contact means for establishing positive contact engagement with the sleeve contact surface of said plus.

4. The structure and combination defined in claim 1, together with means forming a flange radially extending from said bushing-like sleeve and a tubular extension projecting axially therefrom, the free end of said sleeve-spring being shear-formed to provide a pair of contact fingers constituting contact means for maintaining at all times contact with said bushing-like sleeve by elastic contact engagement with the flange thereof and to provide a movable contact tongue projecting radially through said tubular sleeve extension and constituting contact means for establising positive contact engagement with the sleeve contact surface of said plug.

5. The structure and combination defined in claim 1, together with means forming a flange radially extending from said bushing-like sleeve and a tubular extension projecting axialy therefrom, the free end of said sleeve-spring being shear-formed to provide a pair of contact fingers constituting contact means for maintaining at all times contact with said bushing-like sleeve by elastic contact engagement with the flange thereof and to provide a movable contact tongue projecting radially through said tubular sleeve extension and constituting contact means for establishing positive contact engagement with the sleeve contact surface of said plug, and means for limiting the radial displacement of said movable contact tongue.

6. The structure and combination defined in claim 1, together with means forming a flange radially extending from said bushing-like sleeve and a tubular extension projecting axially therefrom, the free end of said. sleeve-spring being shear-formed to provide a. pair of contact fingers constituting contact means for maintaining at all times contact with said bushing-like sleeve by elastic contact engagement with the flange thereof and to provide a movable contact tongue projecting radially through said tubular sleeve extension and constituting contact means for establishing positive contact engagement with the sleeve contact surface of said plug, and means for angularly aligning said bushing-like sleeve with respect to the contact means of said sleeve-spring.

7. The structure and combination defined in claim 1, together with means forming a flange radially extending from said bushing-like sleeve and means forming a radially slotted tubular extension projecting axially therefrom, said flange forming an angularly confined flat surface for engagement with a mounting member for the purpose of angularly aligning said bushing-like sleeve and said slotted extension thereon with respect to said contact means carried by said sleeve-spring at the free end thereof, said contact means comprising a contact finger for elastic engagement with said flange to maintain at all times contact between said sleeve-spring and said bushing-like sleeve and a contact tongue extending radially movably through said slotted extension of said bushing-like sleeve for elastic positive contact engagement with the sleeve contact surface of said plug.

8. The structure and combination defined in claim 1, together with means forming a flange radially extending from said bushing-like sleeve and means forming a radially slotted tubular extension projecting axially therefrom, said flange forming an angularly confined fiat surface for engagement with a mounting member for the purpose of angularly aligning said bushinglike sleeve and said slotted extension thereon with respect to said contact means carried by said sleeve-spring at the free end thereof, said contact means comprising a contact finger for elastic engagement with said flange to maintain at all times contact between said sleeve spring and said bushing-like sleeve and a contact tongue extending radially movably through said slotted extension of said bushing-like sleeve for elastic positive contact engagement with the sleeve contact surface of said plug, and a stop member extending from said tongue for limiting the displacement thereof by engagement with said flange.

9. In a spring jack of the class described have ing a first mounting member for securing a plurality of contact springs extending therefrom and a second mounting member carrying a bushing-like sleeve for receiving a plug provided with contact surfaces for engagement with said contact springs, a sleeve spring secured at one end in said first mounting member and extending therefrom alongside said contact springs sub-' stantially in parallel therewith, the free end of. said sleeve spring being shear-formed to provide a pair of contact fingers for contact engagement at all times with said bushing-like sleeve and to provide a contact tongue intermediate said contact fingers for contact engagement with the sleeve contact surface of a plug inserted therein.

10. In a spring jack of the class described having, a first mounting member for securing a plurality of contact springs extending therefrom in parallel planes and a second mounting member, carrying a bushing-like sleeve for receiving a plug provided with contact surfaces for engagement with said contact springs, a sleeve-spring secured at one end on said first mounting mem-'; her and projecting therefrom in a plane which extends perpendicular to the planes of said cone tact springs, the free end of said sleeve-spring being shear-formed to provide a pair of contact fingers for contact engagement at all times with said bushing-like sleeve and a contact tongue disposed intermediate of said contact fingers for contact engagement with the sleeve contact surface of a plug inserted therein.

JAMES E. BOSH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

